For Majora Carter ’88, founder and director of the non-profit Sustainable South Bronx (SSB), the only thing more surprising than learning she had won a MacArthur Grant was the discovery that some of her colleagues had known about her nomination for years.
“I can’t believe all these people I know and love kept this for years,” said Carter. “Apparently they’ve [the MacArthur Foundation] been watching me for years.”
According to the MacArthur website, the Foundation, which announced its finalists last month, awards grants annually to 25 to 30 people who “show exceptional merit and promise for continued and enhanced creative work.” The grant includes a $500,000 stipend distributed quarterly over five years, for which there are no spending restrictions or reporting obligations.
“I’m still kind of walking on air,” Carter said. “I can’t believe what kind of doors this opens. The fact that I can use this money to achieve these goals is everything I’ve been dreaming of for years.”
In addition to the monetary prize, to win a MacArthur Grant is an impressive feat because the Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. Instead, the Foundation enlists people who are experts in their fields to nominate recipients on a confidential basis.
In fact, when Carter received a phone call from Jonathan Fanton, president of the MacArthur Foundation, her first thought was that the Foundation wanted her to work as a nominator.
“He [Fanton] said ‘Are you in a quiet place? Are you sitting down?’ Carter said. ”And that’s when I thought ‘maybe.’“
Carter founded SSB in 2001 with the mission of combating the environmental and public health problems faced by residents of this inner-city neighborhood, one of the most polluted in the nation. By advocating projects that will make the neighborhood greener, Carter hopes to also create opportunities for recreation and employment. The intersection of environmental resuscitation and economic development is at the crux of the organization’s efforts.
The question of how to spend the money overwhelms Carter. When asked if she had any fantasy projects she has in mind, she said, ”I’m working on them all now.“
Among the organization’s established projects is the New Roof Demonstration Project, launched just a week after Carter learned she had won the grant. The project consists of an installation that combines cool roof technology with a working ecological habitat and sits atop the organization’s offices. The display is intended to demonstrate how green technology saves money and reduces pollution.
”We’re excited about putting the roof out there to show how this technology can help communities that bear the brunt of environmental degradation,“ Carter said.
In addition, Carter said that SSB just completed the first stage of planning for the South Bronx Greenway, a pedestrian and bikeway that will span more than four miles. In addition to its ecological impact, the greenway will serve as a recreational space and a source of employment.
Despite the grant’s unusual lack of spending restraints, Carter feels that an affiliation with the MacArthur Foundation is the greatest of her newfound assets.
”This still isn’t enough money to run a non-profit,“ Carter said. ”What it does is raise the profile for sustainable development in low-income areas. I can make a phone call and some people on the city level feel compelled [to listen]. I feel I have a leg up that I didn’t have two years ago.“
In addition to giving her more clout in the political arena, Carter’s grant has also made waves on a local level.
”This isn’t just big for the Bronx; it’s huge for the neighborhood,“ Carter said. ”People stop me in the street. They’re thrilled that someone from the South Bronx is doing this kind of work.“
Carter’s former professors, too, have taken notice of her success.
”As soon as I read in the paper about Majora I was thrilled,“ said Jeanine Basinger, chair of the film studies department and one of Carter’s former professors. ”She was a wonderful film major, full of imagination, creativity and intelligence. I am very happy for her.“
Yet, despite having grown up in the South Bronx herself, Carter’s interest in the neighborhood’s economic and environmental revival didn’t spike until several years after she graduated from Wesleyan. As a film major and, later, as a graduate student at NYU, Carter hoped to work in community-based arts development.
”When I realized to what extent the environmental development at Hunt’s Point was affecting people, I figured lots of people can pursue their art,“ Carter said.
Moreover, as an undergraduate at Wesleyan, Carter never considered herself political.
”By no stretch of the imagination was I politically active at Wesleyan,“ Carter said, remembering impassioned protests against Apartheid, both on and off campus. ”It took me twenty years to become a Wesleyan student. Now I’m feeling the Wesleyan vibe.“
In many ways, Carter’s refusal to protest with gusto reflects the issues of class inequity that she was to tackle later in life.
”I knew that if I got arrested, people couldn’t bail me out,“ Carter said. ”The ability to protest is something only wealthy people can do. I realize there are many ways to change the status quo, and attack it, if necessary. I want to show how people of color, or from a low-income neighborhood, can impact their environment.“
Leave a Reply